Bryony Shaw, who learned her windsurfing at Farmoor Reservoir while growing up in Oxford, was quick to look on the bright side after failing to sneak a medal – admitting she deserved to leave the Olympic regatta in Weymouth empty-handed.

Shaw, an Olympic bronze medallist from Beijing 2008, began the medal race with only a slim chance of forcing her way into the top three, sitting in seventh place and with 11 points to make up on the second and third placed sailors.

The 29-year-old made an encouraging start and forced her way up to second, but with five other rivals vying for the last two podium places, it was always going to be an uphill struggle.

As one of those, Poland’s Zofia Noceti-Klepacka stormed through to cling onto bronze, Shaw’s hopes of a medal went up in smoke as she finished the day in fifth place and seventh overall.

But she felt she could walk away with her head held high.

“I put in the best race I could and it’s just not to be a medal this time, but I’ve enjoyed the journey so far,” she said. “Being a windsurfer is a great life and to not come away with a medal, I’m gutted, but I tried my best.

“It has been a tough year, I think coming into this regatta I’m not as physically fit as I’d like to be. My forearms gave up in that race and it’s very much a case of having the fitness.

“But I proved my performance in those winds and it just hasn’t been the best series for me so far.

“I’m happy to be coming out with a smile on my face. The other girls put in a great week and hats off to them.”